HUMANITIES

YEAR 7 HISTORY ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM TASK

On Friday 17 November, Year 7 students showcased their historical knowledge in a fascinating Museum Exhibit in A Block. The exhibit showcased a variety of civilizations, including Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the Indus Valley. 

Students worked in groups to research different aspects of these ancient civilisations including weapons, trade, government, food, death and art. Here are some stories from that reflect their learning about the different civilisations.

Ancient China

Our class did Ancient China, and everyone made displays and labels that presented their research and answered a number of questions. We focused on the dynasties between 2000 B.C.E. - 800 C.E. and their impact on Chinese culture. Chanya’s group presented on the Yi-ching, also known as the Book of Change, which is a book used to help guide people through the challenges of life. Ella’s group worked on creating a ceremonial crown called the Mianguan. The class also worked on other interesting artefacts, such as the Terracotta Warriors, mini pagodas and the Assassin's Teapot. 

The students' hard work and dedication over the past few weeks were evident in the quality of their exhibits, and all their efforts paid off with a successful and educational exhibit.

Ella Malhotra & Chanya Mapitiya (7G)

Ancient Greece

Our form (7O) studied the civilisation of ancient Greece. Our group was chosen to study the topic of ‘art and culture’. We came up with the idea to create a painting about the Spartan citizens preparing for battle against Athens. On the day of the Museum Task, there were numerous outstanding artefacts to look at in each room and detailed descriptions alongside each artefact. The Museum Task allowed students to showcase their creativity but also show what they have learnt over these last few weeks about their topic. Not only did we learn about our own artefacts but also other civilisations. 

The day itself was really fun and we enjoyed observing the different creations and hard work each student had put into it. 

Maia Niego & Audrey Powell (7O)

Our class (7M) did ancient Greece and each group got different topics to create their artefact on. Our topic was Greek myths and legend, so we decided to base our artefact on the myth of Medusa. We made Medusa’s head out of foam, a mask, clay and some paint. It was a really enjoyable task for both of us and we learnt that we should be a bit more organised with our time. 

We had so much fun learning about ancient Greece but I think one of our favourite things to learn about was Medusa’s backstory. It was really fun to watch lots of videos about her. We really enjoyed walking around all the classes and seeing what other countries people have learned about. We saw artefacts from Ancient Rome, Ancient China and the Indus valley. Our favourite artefact that we saw was the trojan horse made out of popsicle sticks. Overall, Emily and I had lots of fun learning about Ancient Greece and we really enjoyed this learning task experience.  

Ruby Morrison & Emily Korn (7M)

Ancient Rome

Our class 7K, focussed on the ancient civilisation Rome and created some really amazing artefacts. 

Throughout two weeks we had spent multiple sessions creating and brainstorming ideas for artefacts that were going to be displayed at the exhibit. On the day, all of the Year 7 History classes came together and walked around looking at other people’s work, taking notes of them and filling out a booklet of information about them. This was a really fun experience as it helped us with our teamwork, research and organisation skills. This task made everyone understand/expand on the history of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Indus and Ancient China.

Ivy Fox (7K)

Indus Valley Civilisation

In 7C we looked at the Indus Valley Civilization. This civilisation is lesser known than the others, but it was interesting to learn about especially since it has so much mystery around it. Our class started by understanding the context of our civilization, and after that focusing more on specific topics. Our group’s topic was trade and so we made seals which were thought to be used as labels when trading. We made our artefact only out of clay however, many of our classmates used hot glue, cardboard and paint as well. The best part of the activity was looking at other people’s work and learning about what they have been doing and their civilizations! In the end, the project was fun and relaxing, a great way to end the year!

Geet Monga & Winter Buntman (7C)